Abrasive articles generally include abrasive particles retained in a binder material. Common classes of abrasives include metal bond (i.e., the binder material is metallic), vitreous bond (i.e., the binder material is vitreous), and resin bond (i.e., the binder material is a cured organic resin).
Bonded abrasive articles have abrasive particles retained in a binder (also known in the art as a bonding matrix or binder material) that bonds them together as a shaped mass. Examples of typical bonded abrasives include grinding wheels, stones, hones, and cut-off wheels. The binder can be an organic resin (resin bond), a ceramic or glassy material (vitreous bond), or a metal (metal bond).
Cut-off wheels are typically relatively thin wheels used for general cutting operations. The wheels are typically about 1 to about 200 centimeters in diameter, and several millimeters to several centimeters thick (with greater thickness for the larger diameter wheels). They may be operated at speeds from about 1000 to 50000 revolutions per minute, and are used for operations such as cutting polymer, composite metal, or glass, for example, to nominal lengths. Cut-off wheels are also known as “industrial cut-off saw blades” and, in some settings such as foundries, as “chop saws”. As their name implies, cut-off wheels are used to cut stock such as, for example, metal rods, by abrading through the stock.
With bonded abrasive articles, properties such as cutting rate and durability are important. For example, in the case of commercially available cut-off wheels, cutting performance may decline by more than half after relatively short usage. There is a continuing need for new resin bond abrasives that have improved abrading properties and/or reduced cost at the same performance level.